


Snidget and Snitch: Chapter 1

by jijikaita



Series: Snidget and Snitch [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Best Friends, Falling In Love, Feelings, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Love Triangles, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 09:44:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8139512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jijikaita/pseuds/jijikaita
Summary: Albus struggles to be a good friend when Scorpius seems to have finally won Rose's favor.Very minor Cursed Child spoilers here and there.





	

The breath of spring had at last managed to thaw the Hogwarts grounds on a Saturday in early March. Like all old buildings when the weather changed, magical or not, the masonry and the moldings came to life, chattering in squeaks and groans about the current spell of fine weather, and whether or not it was there to stay. Whatever the banisters and the floorboards might have had to say about it, the consensus among the students was blatant: spring was here. Woolen cloaks and overcoats were switched out for light cardigans and jumpers. Girls shed their winter layers, bare legs appearing as though summoned back into existence by the most powerful dark magic, and the boys (and girls who liked girls) didn’t know how to handle themselves in light of the rediscovery of exposed skin. 

It was a day to be outdoors, there was no denying. And nearly everyone was, on an aptly timed trip to Hogsmeade. In fact, the castle was all but abandoned except for the likes of two fourth year students, the only two occupants of the Slytherin common room: Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. 

As a woman of her word, the Headmistress made good on her threats, but she wasn't heartless. She delivered on the detentions, and while the two foolish, brave Slytherins were not allowed home for Christmas, their families were invited to join the holiday feast. They still were barred from visiting Hogsmeade, but only until the end of term. 

The whole thing was rather like a sentence to spend all their time together, which they would’ve, anyway. And of course, on days like this, it helped that on the morning of each Hogsmeade trip their parents' owls brought them parcels of Honeydukes chocolates, bottles of butterbeer that remained warm no matter how long they were left open (which usually wasn't too long -- one doesn’t just set aside a butterbeer and forget about it), and the occasional Ton-tongue Toffee or Nosebleed Nougat that they'd learned to recognize the hard way. 

Elbow to elbow, Potter and Malfoy shared one of the luscious black leather sofas in the common room, casually watching through the subaquatic windows for the glimpse of the giant squid. It was easy to forget that the sun was shining outside in the cool grandeur of the Slytherin dungeon. It could have been the middle of blazing summer, or a blizzard might have been billowing outside, but under the ground and under the water, it remained comfortable, if not a little chilly, all year round. Warm firelight cut through the aqueous glow from the lake, painting the shadows and shapes with wild, impressionistic hues. 

There they nursed bottles of steaming butterbeer and sorted Chocolate Frog cards. Albus cared very little about collecting them himself, save for a special few favorites. The rest, he’d entrusted with Scorpius, whose knowledge of wizarding history spanned far broader than the singular paragraph on each card, his narratives far more lively, too. 

"...which is why the golden snidget is no longer endangered,” Scorpius explained, turning over Bowman Wright’s card in his hands. “The only real threat to them nowadays is that on occasion, a snidget will mistake a snitch for a potential mate, and well... the snidget often ends up a little worse than just heartbroken at the end of the game... Not to mention, a very awkward close to match." Scorpius ended with a theatrical grin and a waggle of his brow, his expression alone eliciting an amused shake of the head from Albus. 

"Thanks. I doubt I’ll ever be able to watch a Quidditch game the same again," Albus replied dryly, though the only matches he’d ever been to were ones he attended with his family when he was still too young to refuse.

"You are most welcome."

A placid quiet settled between them while Scorpius took a truffle from the box of Honeydukes chocolates that sat open on the claw-footed coffee table before them, examining it before taking a tentative bite of what was thankfully just ordinary chocolate. Albus took a sip of butterbeer, closing his eyes as he followed the warmth down his throat, through his chest, and into his belly, a toasty buzz blooming in his cheeks. Maybe he was still a bit antisocial, but he was far happier here, relaxing with his best friend rather than navigating the muddy paths to Hogsmeade with throngs of other students. He was careful not to let himself feel too happy about it, though, not when Scorpius would almost certainly rather be out there, enjoying the weather and Rose's company. 

It was nothing but a good thing, Scorpius and Rose growing fond of each other, and it seemed nothing short of a miracle, either. Albus was glad to be close with his cousin again, and glad that Scorpius's amorous dedication seemed to be finally paying off. Whether Scorpius had earned it himself, or Rose had simply adopted him as some sort project, Albus wasn’t really sure, but it any case, Scorpius was lucky. He enjoyed their company together, but it wasn't the same as when it was just the two of them, but that was something he was able to enjoy far less of recently. Today was a treat. 

Albus's grin faded into a soft neutral line as he watched a huge fish laze in front of their window. "You never told me how Friday's match went." Albus pushed the smile back onto his face, and looked sidelong at Scorpius. Rose and Scorpius had graciously invited him along, but he’d declined. They never made him feel like a third wheel, and he couldn’t claim to know much about being a wingman, but he knew that at a certain point his job was simply to step away. That, and breaking his perfect absence record to the Hogwarts quidditch matches wasn’t something he was quite ready for. Maybe if he had a girl to go with it would be different, but Scorpius was the only person he really cared to go anywhere with. 

Scorpius sputtered through a mis-swallowed mouthful of butterbeer, pale cheeks flashing red as he coughed into the sleeve of his sweater. "Hufflepuff won," he replied sheepishly, earning a most emphatic eyeroll from Albus. 

He tucked into the crook of his elbow once again to muffle two small sneezes. "I mean--" Scorpius paused to sniffle, clear his throat, and soothe it with a gulp of butterbeer. "It went... well... Quite well, actually." His tone went from ginger to frank. A cock of Albus's head and a couple quiet blinks queued him to carry on.

"I really had no clue what was going on for much of the game, but I think I can kind of follow it now. Rose had to explain everything, but she was so sweet about it. You need to join us sometime; her commentary is brilliant. And it --” Scorpius had been smiling, but he wiped it away, a little rosy in the cheeks. “You don’t really want to hear about this stuff, do you? It’s not really the kind of thing we talk about, right?” 

Albus didn’t let on how much that stung. _Talk about everything to me, Scorpius. It’s important. You’re important._ “Tell me~,” Albus insisted impetuously, knocking his knee against Scorpius’s.

“Well, it was still a bit chilly, so we sat quite close...and we held hands." The gentle smile flickered onto Scorpius's lips as he stared into the center of the room, as though watching the fire come to life with a reenactment of the scene. "We went for a walk afterwards. Around two hours, even though you know how strict she is about her study schedule... and before we returned to the castle we..." Scorpius’s cheeks were tellingly pink.

Albus swallowed a sip of butterbeer, but it went down like a bezoar, his throat suddenly dry. He steeled himself for the word that hung so pendulous in the air, asserting itself before it was even spoken. 

"...kissed good night a bit." Scorpius gazed thoughtfully off into the fire. 

Albus remained pensive for a tick before his mouth fell open, and he eventually arranged it into smile once he was more than half sure he wasn’t going to vomit. "Why didn't you tell me!?" Albus erupted in mock offense, nudging the other Slytherin’s knee again. 

"I just did! I needed some time to think about it a bit first." Scorpius’s jovial smile had disappeared, but Albus wasn’t looking to notice.

“ _Think_ about it,” Albus repeated, droll, with only raised eyebrows to tip off the innuendo. Scorpius conceded a laugh, and the tension eased. Without the slightest examination, Albus swept the bitter feeling in his stomach right under the rug. Too much candy, certainly. Of course he would be concerned about his best friend coupling off and leaving him, and how could he not feel the slightest tinge of jealousy that Scorpius was achieving romantic success before him? It was all understandable. Albus knew better than to expect himself to be at the center of everything; it was his duty as Scorpius's friend to be happy for him. 

"A bit," Albus snortled. “What does that mean, like on the cheek?” 

Scorpius shook his head. On the lips. 

"Like how?"

“Albus, nooo, please,” Scorpius whined, face flushing. 

That response told Albus all he needed to know, but didn’t want to. "You snogged?"

Albus's mouth dropped open again at Scorpius's bashful headshake. Nerdy, pale Scorpius - the same Scorpius that occasionally sang Weird Sisters in the baths and organized his textbooks using a home-grown decimal system- had managed to not only kiss Rose Weasly, but snog her, too. That was like, first base or something, though Albus really had no clue what that idiom referred to. Scorpius's cheeks were glowing, and Albus's were warm, too.

The quiet that settled momentarily over them wasn’t so comfortable. "Wow, mate... Congrats!" Albus held out his bottle. They clinked them together in a toast and drank to Scorpius's success. The blonde drank for a beat after Albus lowered his bottle. Albus's gaze rested on Scorpius's lips, pursed in a sort of kiss on the bottle's mouth. What did it feel like? To be kissed by someone. It felt like something Albus would never know, that’s what. Would he ever even have someone like Rose, _someone like Scorpius_ , who wanted to hold hands with him and go for walks with him and kiss him good night? He pensively pressed his lips to the mouth of the bottle, but it was no consolation.

"Are you and Rose a thing now, Cousin-in-Law?" Albus shifted to turn his torso towards Scorpius, leaning back and curating a cool smirk for his flustered friend. Only, at that moment, Scorpius's face fell, and Albus's smile was snuffed out with it. The fire quivered.

"I don't think so," Scorpius replied, gaze escaping down to the glittering clutter of wrappers and Chocolate Frog cards on the table in front of them. 

Albus's stomach lurched, and he wondered if a piece of Fever Fudge from Uncle Ron had found its way into their chocolates. He felt... well, it was hard to tell what he felt. A number of things, all mixed together and murky. Unpleasantly indistinct, but distinctly unpleasant. "She rejected you?" 

Scorpius slowly shook his head. "That's not it...," the hair haired Slytherin replied after a heavy pause, "Actually, she kissed me first." 

"Totally something to sulk about," Albus snipped as turned back towards the fire, and resumed his participation in the conversation obliquely. “What a disappointment.”

Scorpius flinched. A distressed sigh was huffed through the Malfoy's nose, still serious in spite of Albus's snark. "It didn't feel right."

Albus set his butterbeer down with a clink, crossed his arms, and laughed, though he wasn’t sure what he found funny.

Scorpius's brow creased as he silently picked at the label on his bottle, peeling up a corner only to smooth back down, bottom lip caught between his teeth. “I don’t want to talk about it if you’re just going to tease me,” he warned firmly, pale brows furrowed, eyes still averted.

"I’m sorry,” Albus said, with none of the desperation and only a fraction of the remorse he felt. Why could he never just act like a decent friend? “Switching the snark off.” He pantomimed flipping down a switch with his finger with a solemn nod, and it almost made Scorpius smile. “You've never kissed anyone. And I don't think she has, either."

"So?"

"Maybe your expectations are too high… or maybe you're both just not very good at it." Albus shrugged. Scorpius winced, and then grew sullen once again, as if the suggestion had just hit him in the face. "It means you two probably need to practice a bit is all." He beamed at himself. That was a bit of guy to guy advice he could give himself a pat on the back for. Scorpius probably felt insecure and needed some encouragement, and Albus would deliver it, mature, understanding, and _completely unbiased_. 

 

Albus uncrossed his arms, and opened himself towards his friend, resting his elbow on the back of the sofa. "What is it supposed to feel like, anyway?" Of course he was curious.

"How should I know?" Scorpius huffed, still bruised from Albus’s sarcasm.

"How can you know if it’s not right then?" Emerald eyes twinkled with certitude. Check and mate.

A long breath was drawn in through Scorpius’s nose, held, and was released as a sigh. "It's more than just lips touching... when you're in love with someone…” He looked up to check that Albus wasn’t silently laughing at him, and found him looking quite docile. Scorpius gave it a few moments, and Albus waited respectfully. “This is just how I imagine it, I guess…” he began again, uneasily, looking away from Albus.”Warm, and sweet... like butterbeer and Honeydukes chocolate," he improvised, gaze darting to the table. "And secure as being wrapped in an invisibility cloak…” Scorpius gave a small frown at his clumsy verbiage. “And time stands still... and you can see that all your pasts and all your futures have been ticking in tandem, conspiring to create that perfect moment… that perfect world... in which that kiss is a reality."

Albus started when Scorpius looked up at him, they both did, not expecting to lock eyes so easily, and hastily looking away. He had been staring at Scorpius, rapt, mouth slackened. His heart was battering away at his ribs as if desperate to escape. It was clear now as ever: Rose was the lucky one. 

"You know," Albus began, finding himself winded and wanting for words as Scorpius’s haunted him, "if you ever flunk out, you could be a poet or something." He pushed himself on, away from the chilling words and the deadly curiosity that had him dwelling Scorpius’s lips. "So then what did it feel like with Rose?"

Another deep breath and a shrug. "Nice, I suppose."

Albus hated himself for feeling pleased with the lackluster answer and reminded himself what his role as Scorpius’s best friend meant in this situation. "That sounds like a pretty good start. And for all you know about kissing, maybe sometimes it's the second kiss, or the third that's the special one. You've been chasing her like a snitch for years, so maybe you should trust that more than some Beedle and the Bard rubbish about first kiss magic. This could be the world where it takes two kisses for you to know you're actually in love with her. Or the one where it's not meant to be at all. You can give up without knowing, or you can give it another try.” He nodded resolutely. After all he’d said, Albus didn’t hate himself any less. 

"And if doesn’t work? Will you be disappointed?" Scorpius asked, soberly.

The gravity of Scorpius's tone called Albus's gaze suddenly upward, eyes narrowed and lips pursed in a quizzical frown. What was he even getting at? Green eyes locked with gray, but whatever Scorpius was trying to say with his beseeching gaze was lost on Albus. 

“Never." There was no greater an understatement in all of history.

Albus became aware of Scorpius leaning toward him, and as though by powerful magnets, his body was being drawn in. In an instant, they were a tangle of arms, chests crushed together, nuzzled into one another’s shoulders in a mighty hug.

They’d stopped counting by now, of course, but it was honestly just like all the other hugs they’d shared: it was warm, sweet, and safe -- and Albus never wanted it to end.


End file.
